I think his point is that if someone has cancer and they end up needing to fire them it's going to become an issue for them emotionally. Good, bad or indifferent-- I understand what he's saying, if that is what he is saying.
But Dan's point is well taken: is this what we want to incentivize? A culture of lying and partial disclosure? Now, that doesn't mean 100% disclosure of all things at all times-- people have a right to privacy. But what I think is often lost here is the understanding that when we force everyone to wear masks, we often end up not knowing where the masks end and the real faces begin.
>>Your bigotry has made you say that you would prefer dishonest liars to people who are honest but with a mental illness.
>>Don't you see how utterly fucked that attitude is? It's disgusting and you should feel ashamed.
You've made this far more personal than it should or has to be. You've completely misunderstood my meaning and chosen to become very offended at something I did not actually say. Given that, there is no reason to lash out at me when I am simply trying to help him. If you disagree, just say that.
Now, I'm not a bigot. I genuinely care about his predicament. I've known many people personally who suffer from mental illnesses of varying types.
What I was explaining is a hypothetical scenario where someone discriminates subconsciously, not consciously. They see a person's candidacy for a job and their first association is with mental illness, not competency. This is a terrible first impression. My point is that the world is filled with what I call "grey-area" discrimination. It's people who are otherwise kind and caring but not self-aware enough to stop themselves from discriminating when a subconscious impulse arises in the face of something they don't want to deal with.
Now, elsewhere in this thread Michael explained that it is more important for him to take a stand than to have a job. That's fine! I fully support him. As long as he understands the impression he is making in interviews and job applications, I applaud him for being so committed to social change. My purpose was only to help him understand that what he is doing is tactlessly honest, if one wants to apply for a job. It appeared to me from his parent comment that his primary goal was getting a job, not taking a social stance, so I wanted to give frank advice.
We all embellish who are to inspire confidence in others. On a date you will talk yourself up. On a job interview you will talk yourself up. Relaying a story to your friends, you will talk yourself up. Michael is doing the extreme opposite of that, and I wanted him to be aware of it because it was not the first time I had seen him complaining. But I fully understand his decision, in light of his explanation.
What is particularly upsetting to me, is that those who seek work, are expected not to take stands.
Consider that I am - indirectly - related to Roger Sherman. On the back of the US $2.00 bill is John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence". The original painting is in a very dimly lit room in the US Capitol building.
Uncle Roger is fourth from the right, the tall guy with the tall forehead.
All of the founding fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence risked their lives by doing so. This led to their having a handwriting contest; John Hancock got to sign first, because he had the boldest, clearest handwriting.
While commonly regarded as tragic that soliders, sailors, aviators, policemen and firemen give their lives for what they believe in, I am commonly told that it is wrong for computer programmers to live their lives conscientiously, rather than by working towards their employer's next quarterly report.
Perhaps I should have been more clear: I don't regard being mentally ill as a predicament.
What I regard as a predicament, is that I am unable to find paying work.
It is particularly upsetting to me that my many skills are going to waste. I see so many young people making so many mistakes - just look at the prevalence of negative iOS App reviews in the iTunes Store.
There is so much that I could teach those who are just starting out. Not to make the mistakes I once made, as well as how to do the things that I've learned since.
To use assertions before you use debuggers for instance. While well-documented, such a practice is not well-understood.
You mean than this other person who might be lying to hide their cancer from you.
Your bigotry has made you say that you would prefer dishonest liars to people who are honest but with a mental illness.
Don't you see how utterly fucked that attitude is? It's disgusting and you should feel ashamed.